Fliege
by LaughableBlackStorm
Summary: His breath is ghostly against your skin. -sixth, last in Senses series-


**FLIEGE**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI.

Rated for slash.

**Author's Note:** This is the last one, guys! Ah! Many, many thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Without you, my ego wouldn't be as comfy! Happy reading, and please remember to leave a comment or two.

For those who are following the Golden Days trilogy, keep your eyes open for the third story, _Come Back Around Tonight_!

* * *

_Fliege:_ 'fly' – German

* * *

_We passed like a nightmare falling down,  
__Without touching the ground  
__This ghost and vacant eyes deceive thee  
__They've come to take me  
__Without words and silence  
__With a hand now crushing hope this late kiss,  
__You've come to make this my last night home_

_Now I've seen the world through eyes of bitter hate and lies  
__And now I can't stand what I have become  
__Was there something I missed?  
__Can you replay this kiss?  
__And the ghost sought by my side  
__I'm breathless and disconnected_

_I won't forget those things you said  
__A stab to the heart and head  
__Killing without an end  
__I am afraid because I'm open and undone_

"Breathless" – Aiden

* * *

You lie here, on his bed, and you know that you could stay here forever if he asked you to.

He's facing you, his eyes closed and his breathing even with sleep. Your eyes trace every detail—the straight and curved lines of his nose, the freckles on his right cheek, the slight crease in his brow that comes and goes as the minutes drain away into evening. You love being close to him, holding him in your arms. The feel of his skin beneath your hands, his scent, the sound of his soft breathing…the only thing missing is the flicker of emotions and thoughts behind his hazel eyes, but that can wait—he hasn't slept this peacefully in several days.

The team has been working on a case that hits close to home for Greg, unfortunately…a man beaten to death. Only this time, the criminals had a personal grudge against the victim; he wasn't targeted for any reason save he owed them money for drugs.

You're glad that Greg can sleep again. You have witnessed the way the case plays on his emotions, dragging forth terrible memories that leave him trembling in your arms during the day, with you whispering in his ear, trying to bring him back to the present…but things aren't easy with Greg, if only because he lets his feelings get the best of him. And you saw the dead look in his eyes several times during the three day period you worked on the case, and it scared you, more and more every day, until one morning after shift you finally pleaded to Greg to come back to you, because you know you wouldn't be able to handle life without him.

He stirs beside you. Your gaze flickering towards his slowly opening eyes, you smile softly and brush a lock of hair away from his forehead.

He blinks and squints at you. "You're awake," he says simply, his voice scratchy from disuse.

"So are you."

He hums in reply and buries his head in your shoulder, wrapping his right arm around your waist and his left pressing against your shoulder. You sigh in content.

"Did you have any nightmares?" you ask quietly.

He shakes his head slightly and a weight that you didn't even know you had lifts from your chest and evaporates into the air.

"I'll never let you get hurt again," you whisper fiercely, holding him as close to you as possible. His breath is ghostly against your skin. "Never again. I promise you."

Greg sighs and several moments pass in silence, until he says softly, "I got lucky, Nicky."

"You were strong."

"Luck might not be on my side next time." He says it as though he didn't hear your response, though you know he did. He doesn't realize how special he is, how strong he was that night, how much you love him for his will to live. You hope he will someday.

But you know he's right. You can't always be there, no matter how much you say you will be.

Sighing, the weight once again resting beneath your ribcage and suffocating your lungs and heart until they have trouble functioning, you bury your face in his hair.

"I know," you whisper shakily, and a tear slips from the corner of your eye, into his hair. "I know."

* * *

_Friedenhalt:_ 'peace stop' – German

* * *


End file.
